Judge Maxwell named Athlete of the Year

Retired District Judge Ralph Maxwell, 91, has been named 2010 Master Male Athlete of the Year by the USA Track and Field Association. Maxwell holds a number of world and American records, several of them set in 2010.

Ralph Maxwell served as a North Dakota District Judge chambered in Fargo from 1967 to 1978.

He received a B.S. degree in Commerce from the University of North Dakota, and L.L.B. degree from the U.N.D. Law School in 1947. He was admitted to the North Dakota Bar that same year. He served as State's Attorney of Rolette County, 1949-1953; Assistant United States Attorney and United States Attorney for North Dakota, 1953-1958. From 1958-1967 he was in private practice at West Fargo. On August 1, 1967, he was appointed Judge of the First Judicial District by Governor William L. Guy.

According to U.N.D. Alumni Association, Judge Maxwell and his wife Elizabeth divide their time among Minnesota, Texas, and Costa Rica.

Elizabeth Maxwell is a 1977 graduate of the U.N.D. Law School. Their daughter Nancy Maxwell, a 1975 U.N.D. Law School graduate, is Professor of Law at Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas.